AFTER FANTASTICALLY CLOSE SEASON FINALE
Will Gibson makes it back-to-back Legends titles in dramatic last race
Impossible to predict Oulton Park finale goes Gibson’s way by 20pts
Wins for Jack Parker, Tyler Read, Robert Barrable in rain-hit Cheshire
Nick Bridgeman is Masters champ, Harri Musselle wins Rookie crown
POB Racing celebrates Team Car title with top scorer Jamie Moylan
Oulton Park International Circuit delivered a breathtaking finale to the 2024 Legends Cars Championship on Saturday, 28th September, where Will Gibson (Camberley) entered the record books as a two-time Legends Cars Champion – winning the crown by a mere 20 points.
The destiny of the coveted title, in the 30th Anniversary season of Legends Cars action in the UK, was on a knife-edge throughout the last day of the campaign at the rain-hit Cheshire track and nobody could’ve predicted just how close the decider would be.
Gibson went into round 13 with a 60 point lead, but after chief rival Jack Parker (Wolverhampton) won a wet first Heat, incredibly he and Gibson were tied at the top going in to Heat Two. Gibson then finished sixth in the red-flagged and re-started second race, Parker seventh, and so a tiny 10 point gap was all that separated the duo going into the Final.
With both having to fight their way through the order, Gibson starting 18th and Parker 22nd, the stakes were incredibly high. With potential disaster the blink of an eye away for both more than once as they carved through, Gibson finished fourth one place ahead of Parker to become a double champion in Legends Cars – a massively emotional title victory dedicated to his late brother Tim.
In the Masters Cup, Nick Bridgeman (Baldock) produced yet another strong and consistent outing to ensure the Gerard McCosh Napoleon Award crown by more than 300 points. Meanwhile, in the Rookie Cup, Harri Musselle (Buckingham) sealed a popular title victory. The Team Car crown had already been wrapped-up prior to Oulton Park by POB Racing’s impressive No.44 entry.
Unpredictable, exciting, spectacular – Legends thrill at Oulton Park
Although he doesn’t like to be known as a wet-weather specialist, when light but very persistent rain produced a wet track for the opening race of the day it was no surprise to see Parker claim his 11th victory of the season. Steve Whitelegg (Bury), from third on the grid, made an outstanding launch and led early on in the No.94 Team Car, before Parker pounced.
Passing around the outside at Shell Oils Hairpin, Parker tried to pull away but Whitelegg wasn’t going to be deterred so easily and pressured up Clay Hill before moving back ahead. Whitelegg continued to head the way for the bulk of lap two, but Parker passed on the brakes into Lodge.
From that point forward Parker had the measure of the competition and he went on to win by just over a second from Peter Barrable (Dublin) and Jamie Moylan (Naas) in the No.44 Team Car. Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) was fourth, a trip through the Shell Oils gravel on lap four costing him, from Chris Needham (Altrincham) in fifth – from 19th on the grid – and Gibson, complaining of grip issues, sixth.
Going into the damp Heat Two, Gibson and Parker were tied on points at the top of the standings and they lined-up 18th and 21st respectively. Luke Simmons (Lingfield) held the lead off the start before Tyler Read (Weedon) nosed ahead on the outside of Old Hall, then Simmons hit back at Cascades. Red flags were then required after a multi-car tangle in the pack at the exit of Old Hall.
At the re-start a short while later, Simmons launched well to repel Read but it was Andy Bird (Calne) who sliced through on the inside at the exit of Old Hall to lead. Needham made quick progress too, and he passed Bird before the end of the first tour before Read demoted Bird to third place on lap two at Knickerbrook.
By the end of lap three Needham, Read, Moylan and Bird were glued together as a fantastic race built. Needham was under immense pressure during the final laps, but he equally seemed able to keep the swarming Read at bay. It all came to a head into Lodge on the fifth and final tour. Read darted to the inside on the brakes but as Needham turned in at the apex, contact was made.
Read got through unscathed to take the win, his third of the season, while Needham was pitched into a spin but still recovered in fifth. Moylan, as a result, took a terrific second and only a couple of tenths shy of the winner, with Simmons a well-deserved third from Bird. Gibson and Parker finished sixth and seventh, meaning the 2023 Champion took a 10 point advantage into the Final.
Nathan Anthony (Horley) started the round 13 Final on pole, having endured a disastrous day up to that point with a pair of non-finishes. As well as the last race of the day for the Legends, it was also the driest and having scored well during the previous two contests Gibson and Parker started 18th and 22nd respectively.
Anthony’s Se-Van led away at the start and through Old Hall, but a tangle further back in the pack at the first turn resulted in the deployment of the Safety Car with two entries in the gravel. Prior to the cautionary period being called, Robert Barrable (Dublin) had moved into the lead and after the re-start on lap four he absolutely dominated.
Rocketing away from the rest as they squabbled, Barrable scorched into a five second lead within a single lap and ultimately won on lap seven – his seventh victory of the season – by a country mile, 8.1 seconds to be precise. Moylan made it a POB Racing one-two after a remarkable drive from 23rd on the grid, also meaning he ended the day as the highest scoring driver overall in the No.44.
Read finished in third, securing a superb top three championship finish in only his sophomore year, and he duly confirmed his planned return to the category for 2025 and an entry into this year’s World Finals. Gibson had made more gains than Parker during the early running, but a nail-biting finish was delivered as Parker closed-up during the latter stages – the pair finishing fourth and fifth.
Will Gibson – 2024 Legends Cars Champion:
“Back-to-back titles, wow, I think that puts me in Legends folklore now! I knew going into that last lap, it was a win or bin move around the outside of three cars into the first corner – Tim [Gibson’s late brother] was helping there for sure! I can’t thank everyone enough, the old man, my wife Janine, Scott, Den, Mick, Matt Roach and Mike. The hard work everyone put in to rebuilding the car at Speedfest [in June]. When you look back at it, they’re the things that won the championship for us. I dedicated our first championship title last year to Tim, this one is dedicated to him too.”
Jack Parker – Rd13 Heat One Winner and Legends Cars Vice-Champion:
“It has been really tight all year. Obviously, the gap was 60 points coming into the meeting, I closed it down after winning the first race and we were at a dead-heat, then just 10 points between us after the second race. Losing by just 20 points in the end is incredible, but we’ve had a fantastic year winning the Elite Cup and having the most race wins. It’s a shame we couldn’t win both titles, but now we’ll go to America [World Finals] and look to settle the score there!”
Tyler Read – Rd13 Heat Two Winner:
“It was a brilliant race! Chris [Needham] was expecting me to go to the inside into the last corner, so I stuck to the outside and then moved across and sent it up the inside. I’m really happy with how it’s gone this year, I had a really good season last year winning both Rookie championships and to come into this year I was hoping for a top three championship finish overall. To come second in the Elite Cup, only five points off the title, and now third in the overall championship is fantastic.”
Robert Barrable – Rd13 Final Winner:
“We had the pace all weekend, we had a bit of misfortune in the first race and then the throttle stuck open in the second one, so winning the Final is a good way to the finish the season. It’s a nice way to reward the team, and Jamie [Moylan] wins overall for the day [with the most points]. It’s a really good finish to the season for us. Ultimately when we’ve finished, we’ve finished well.”
Provisional 2024 Legends Cars Championship Points:
CHAMPION: Will Gibson, 5290pts
2nd Jack Parker, 5270pts
3rd Tyler Read, 4910pts
4th Robert Barrable, 4895pts
5th Andy Bird, 4735pts
6th Oli Schlup, 4265pts
iMAGE: courtesy George McNeill
